PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #12: Modeling.
Tuesday, August 7, 2001. Presentation from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Exhibition Hall
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Complex dynamics in a simple competition model.
Andersen, Mark1, 1
ABSTRACT- Simple discrete-time models have been applied to the description of competition between plant species. I present numerical results for one such model based on the well-known single-species Ricker model. Results include bifurcation analyses and computation of Lyapunov exponents, and show that the model is capable of a range of complex dynamical behaviors for apparently realistic parameter values. These results demonstrate the broad range of dynamics possible for simple competitive interactions, and illustrate the caution that must be exercised in drawing conclusions about long-term system behavior even from sophisticated experimental studies of competition.
KEY WORDS: competition theory, Ricker model, complex dynamics